Mail-bag catcher



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. WAMPLER. MAIL BAG GATUHER No. 456,665. Patented July 28, 1891.

(N0 MOdGl.) a Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. WAMPLER.

MAIL BAG GATGEER. N0. 466,666. Patented July 28, 18:91.

(No Model.) 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. S. WAMPLER. MAIL BAG GATOHER.

No. 456,665. Patented Ju1y28, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL VAMPLER, OF LARIMERS STATION, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-BAG CATCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 456,665, dated July 28, 1891.

Application filed November 24, 1890. Serial No. 372,565. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL WAMPLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Larimers Station, in the county of Vestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Mail-Bag Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

- The ob'ect of m invention is 'a mail-ha J y e catcher to be placed on a railway-car to take up the mail-bag at the stations, and at the same time have the mail-bag on the car taken off, all of which willbe fully explained hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top view of my mail-grabbing device shown closed. The dotted lines on the same show it open ready to receive the impact. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, Fig. 1, in elevation. Fig. 3 shows the grabbing device after the mail-bag has been caught up and carried into the car or away from it. This is done automatically, as will be shown. Fig. 4 is a device for stopping the catcher when it is wheeled into the car or away from it. Fig. 5 is a crosssection of the turn-table. Fig. Gis a side view of a railway mail-car, showing a mail-bag hung out ready to be taken up, and also shows a stand, to which is hung a mail-bag tobe taken up by the passing train. Fig. 7 is a transverse longitudinal section of Fig. 6 and shows the catcher or grabberopen and ready to take up a mail-bag, and on the other side of the car there is shown a mail-bag catcher closed up and drawn inside of the car. This view also shows the catcher on the car set for a mailbag, and also shows a top view of the stand on the outside, on which is a mail-bag ready to be taken up by the passing train.

A, Fig. 6, represents a mail-car; B, a mailbag stand along the track in a suitable place and at the proper distance and height, so that the mail-bag B hanging thereon can be taken up. I) is a post on which the mail-bagis hung, an arm being provided for the purpose.

A is a track on the inside of the car, along which track the platform G, which supports the mail-bag catcher, may be moved to and from the open door.

B is also a stand, and on it is the mail-bag catcher 011 the outside, as seen in Fig. 2.

" mailbag.

c is a post, which is mounted on a turntable C.

C is an arm having the reduced part c to make it springy. To the arm C beyond the reduced portion 0", is secured one end of a spring 0, which extends to an arm 0 The arm 0 is rigidly fixed to the arm C (1 is a coil-spring extending from the arm 0 t0 the pivoted arm C as seen in Fig. 3.

c is a bolt forming the pi rot for the arm 0 c is a catch on the arm O.

c is a pawl; 0", a niche for the pawl 0, formed in the turn-table, which table is pro vided with a projecting curved'lug e at one side of the niche, which lug strikes the beveled or inclined edge of the pawl c and prevents the same from taking in the niche when the table is rotated by its spring to swing the mail-bag into the car.

D D are braces.

c c are stopping-pins in the turntable O.

c 0 are studs or stops.

0 is a coil-spring inside the turn-table C. This spring is fixed to the post 0.

D is a post.

(Z is a brace.

D is a spring.

To the post D, near the upper end thereof, is secured an arm D, and in the upper portion of the post Df is pivoted, by means of a pivot (Z an arm D The catcher on the car is made like the one on the side of the track, and while the one on the car takes up the mail-bag at the station along the side of the track, the catcher stationed 011 the ground alongside of the railway-track takes up the mail-bag hung out of the car-door. In either case the mail-bag is carefully turned aside and the bag safely handled.

I provide a stand in the car to be projected from the car-door along or on the track A, Fig. 6. On this stand the mail-bag is hung or suspended in such a way as to strike the arm C of the catcher that is on the ground. When the mail-bag strikes this arm C the latter is carried back till arrested by the stopping-pins c. This stroke of the mail-bag against the arm 0 will bend the same at 0 thus throwing off the catch 0 from the arm 0', thus releasing the pivoted arm 0, which by the spring C quickly draws the arm 0 forward, as seen in Fig. 1, against the mailbag, holding it tightly till the next movement is madeviz., carrying the mail-bag quarterround and out of the way of the train or into the car, as the operations are similar. This operation takes the mail-bag off the car much more gently than is done by the present methods of doing this, and at the same time the bag is held tightly till released by hand.

hen it is desired to place a mail-bag on the train or maiLcar, the bag is hung up on the stand provided for the purpose in the same manner as the otherone was (described) hung upon the car reac y to be taken off. The catcher on the car is run out and set, as seen in Fig. 1 on dotted lines. Then as the arm G comes in contact with the mail-bag the operation is repeated, as described before, and

the bag is caught up and turned quarter round and out of the way, all the time being tightly held. In making this quarter-turn the ends of the arms C and C are caught, as seen in Fig. at.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A mail-bag catcher comprising the upright post secured at its lower end to a turn- 7 table, the main catcher-arm, the auxiliary of an upright post, an arm secured to said post and provided with the reduced spring portion and with a short arm or projection G a flexible connection between the arm 0* and the main arm, the auxiliary catching-arm pivotally connected to the main arm and engaging at one end with the arm C, and a coiled spring between said auxiliary arm and the main arm, substantially as shown and described, for the purpose specified.

3. In a mail-bag catcher, a turn-table provided with the fixed stops and the laterallyextending pins, a coiled spring arranged within the table for impelling the same in one direction, and a pawl operating to prevent backward movement of the turn-table, substantially as shown and described.

4. A mail-bag catcher consisting of the upright post connected at its lower end to a suit able turn-table, the spring-arm C rigidly secured to said post and having the right-angled projecting arm 0, the flat spring connecting the arms O and (3*, the bent arm C pivoted on the arm C and provided at one end with a projecting lug adapted to take around the end of the arm 0 and hold the arm (1 away from the arm 0 and means, substantially as described, for forcing the arm 0 toward the arm C when the latter comes in contact with a mail bag, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of October, A. D. 1890.

SAMUEL XVAMPLER. Witnesses:

BEN STEELE, Jnoon WI L. 

